Hal Horowitz
Hal has been a professional music journalist since 1994, writing predominately about country, blues, Americana, roots rock and singer/songwriter genres for a variety of publications.
STAFF PICKS•Tom Petty – Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers
Similar to the best documentaries, you don’t need to be a Tom Petty fan to appreciate how this film captures the creation of Wildflowers, and illuminates his character, determination and perfectionism.
ALBUM REVIEW•Riley Downing - Start It Over
The debut solo album from The Deslondes member is bluesy and characteristically laid-back, coalescing different sounds into a soulful, lowdown whole. Once you’re on board with Downing's elusive, often entrancing vibe, you’ll wonder why it took a pandemic for him to hit center stage.
ALBUM REVIEW•Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Angel Dream
Even Petty fans hip to the initial soundtrack will want to add this refreshed take to their collections.
ALBUM REVIEW•Chase Bryant - Upbringing
Kudos to Bryant for overcoming his psychological obstacles to craft his sturdy, if a little cliched, of Upbringing.
STAFF PICKS•Lord Huron - Long Lost
Relish in this sumptuous look back into an Americana that may have never existed other than in the mind of Ben Schneider, an auteur who crafts this delightful, sometimes challenging conceptual piece without a hint of pretentiousness or affectation.
ALBUM REVIEW•John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band - Leftover Feelings
It’s a classy, frequently moving, always provocative collaboration and one of Hiatt’s finest efforts which, considering his extensive catalog, is saying plenty.
STAFF PICKS•Charley Crockett - Music City USA
It’s tricky to pick one singular track to return to after the 50-minute album is complete. It’s once again an all-killer-no-filler album, Crockett keeping up his extraordinary run of matching quantity with quality, all garnished with an endearing, “aw-shucks” vibe.
COUNTRY CLASSICS•Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera
There is never a moment throughout this saga when the playing, singing and vocals feel anything less than earthy, honest and pure. That’s quite an accomplishment for this expansive hour and a half listen, particularly one where lyrics are so crucial to its enjoyment.
STAFF PICKS•Hiss Golden Messenger - Quietly Blowing It
This release feels like the beginning of a confident new phase for M.C. Taylor - and might herald that for the music world in general too.
ALBUM REVIEW•Travis Tritt - Set In Stone
The singer’s confident voice and diversity in material display how much we’ve missed his presence in country music. It’s delightful to hear that he hasn’t lost a step.
ALBUM REVIEW•Rodney Crowell - Triage
It takes a brave artist to admit “If I’d known what I know a long time ago /I might have made of my life something more”. When it comes to Rodney Crowell, many would disagree; the intimate and often hypnotic Triage shows that he still has lots more to give.
STAFF PICKS•Israel Nash - Topaz
There aren’t many artists talented enough to pull off a concept this uniquely creative and idiosyncratic without a hint of pretension. But Israel Nash has honed this territory for a while. The result is an immaculately constructed, filmic album that’s both expansive yet personal.
ALBUM REVIEW•Sierra Ferrell - Long Time Coming
It’s obvious that Sierra Ferrell is a refreshingly original talent on the roots music landscape; one who’s revealed just a sampling of her gifts on this confident and uncompromising initial studio set.
STAFF PICKS•Rhiannon Giddens - They're Calling Me Home
Rhiannon Giddens doesn’t need much time or supporting instrumentation to create fervently moving art. Even though the stripped-down qualities of They’re Calling Me Home are the result of the pandemic, they yield some of the most stirring music you’re likely to hear, this year or any other.
STAFF PICKS•Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall - The Marfa Tapes
The Marfa Tapes is the rawest – and some might say most real - recording you’ll get from this trio - and it's all the better for it. Its unembellished sound and scruffy methodology is a quality we don’t have enough of in today’s often excessively tweaked and overly polished fare.
ALBUM REVIEW•Sean Rowe - The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights
Between his earnest rumble of a voice, lyrics so genuine they can’t be fiction and the no frills production, these musical sketches bring us closer to connecting with Sean Rowe from a place total vulnerability.
ALBUM REVIEW•Adia Victoria - A Southern Gothic
Victoria has crafted a serious, often unrelenting and potent collection in A Southern Gothic - a powerful, searing work that pulses with the heartbeat of the American South.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Flatlanders - Treasure of Love
While it may not be The Flatlanders at the top of their game, any fan of pure Texas country will find lots to relish on this collection. The tunes are terrific and it remains a treat to hear these troupers clearly having fun working at this late stage in their lives.
ALBUM REVIEW•David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (50th Anniversary Edition)
Many believe that the best art emerges from times of psychological struggle and/or philosophical unrest. That was the case in late 1970, when David Crosby recorded his first solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name.
ALBUM REVIEW•Jade Bird - Different Kinds of Light
Jade Bird is just 23 and has two impressive records to her name. From the direction of Different Kinds of Light, her future could be about to take flight.
ALBUM REVIEW•Natalie Hemby - Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles sounds professional and pleasant, however the smoothed over, unruffled 70s-styled production strips many of these selections of the impact their smartly written lyrics deserve.
ALBUM REVIEW•Taylor McCall - Black Powder Soul
Listeners who gravitate to the darker fringe of the genre will find plenty to chew on in this stunningly intense album that takes no prisoners, often detonating as if ignited by the explosive titular element.
STAFF PICKS•Amythyst Kiah - Wary + Strange
For Staff Picks, we share with you our favourite new releases that you need to listen to. This week, it's Amythyst Kiah's Wary + Strange - a mesmerizing, frequently hypnotic and always challenging work.
ALBUM REVIEW•Sara Watkins - Under The Pepper Tree
Even if this leans to pop more than the country or bluegrass she is best known for, Watkins’ affection for this collection of children's songs is obvious. She successfully crafts an album adults can enjoy, just as much as their little ones; maybe even more so.
ALBUM REVIEW•M. Ward - Think of Spring
Leave it to M. Ward to release one of the most downbeat and melancholy albums of his career - just in time for the Christmas season.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Wandering Hearts - The Wandering Hearts
Anyone expecting a sophomore slump will be encouraged to learn that even with one member down, the group has solidified - and even amplified - the wonderful harmonies and memorable melodies that worked so effectively the first time out.
ALBUM REVIEW•Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band - Dance Songs For Hard Times
Dance Songs for Hard Times is high-spirited, rambunctious roots music and a soundtrack to help dance away the blues - pandemic or otherwise.
ALBUM REVIEW•Connie Smith - The Cry of the Heart
Marty Stuart should be praised for his production of the project, but on the enthralling The Cry of the Heart, Connie Smith shows that she remains a vibrant and convincing presence. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another decade for number 55.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Pink Stones - Introducing... The Pink Stones
There's a depth of honesty, sensitivity and integrity to Introducing... The Pink Stones that few debut releases have the capacity or courage to display. The Pink Stones aren’t trying to reinvent the cosmic American music wheel, just get behind it and drive for a while. Come along and enjoy the ride.
ALBUM REVIEW•Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real - A Few Stars Apart
While the laid-back nature of it could use more of the energy exhibited on much of his other work, it demonstrates that slowing down to reevaluate your life, whether you planned to or not, is time well spent.
ALBUM REVIEW•Carolyn Wonderland - Tempting Fate
The years of Carolyn Wonderland being a well-kept secret are about to end.
STAFF PICKS•Shannon McNally - The Waylon Sessions
It comes as little surprise that McNally has finally got around to honoring Jennings with a disc dedicated to highlights and a few obscurities from his catalog.
ALBUM REVIEW•Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà Vu (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
This is classy and complete. It’s likely the last word on how the disparate musical and personal threads of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were woven, creating the uneven yet tremendously successful and often musically spellbinding tapestry of Déjà Vu.
ALBUM REVIEW•Willie Nelson - That's Life
There aren’t many surprises on That's Life, but that’s unimportant. Nelson’s in terrific voice, he clearly loves the material and delivers each of the eleven Frank Sinatra cover tracks with beautifully nuanced authenticity.
ALBUM REVIEW•Asleep at the Wheel - Half a Hundred Years
The 19-track, hour playing time zips along with so much enthusiasm that it feels half as long. Even though it’s a bit of a mish-mash of re-recorded Asleep material with new songs, Half a Hundred Years is a constantly delightful recording that never takes itself too seriously.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Band - Stage Fright (50th Anniversary Edition)
How great were The Band? Great enough to craft ten remarkable songs that remain moving and often exhilarating, even under trying and some might say demanding circumstances.
ALBUM REVIEW•Morgan Wade - Reckless
Reckless is an impressive initial showcase for a relatively new artist laying out her voice, personality and affecting lyrics for the world to hear. It’s still early in 2021, but this is likely to be one of the year’s top country debuts.
ALBUM REVIEW•Parker Millsap - Be Here Instead
Every talented musician needs to grow and mature. That’s what Parker Millsap effectively does on Be Here Instead, his shot to attract a larger audience while preserving the organic qualities that have served him well to this point.
ALBUM REVIEW•Blackberry Smoke - You Hear Georgia
With You Hear Georgia, Blackberry Smoke’s tried and true approach feels as potent now as it did when they started down their long career path 20 years ago.
ALBUM REVIEW•Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash – At the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968
This record captures Cash in a transitory stretch - not yet lauded as the spokesperson for the downtrodden and a progenitor of the “outlaw” sound, but rather a talented country musician plying his trade on the road.
ALBUM REVIEW•Jackson Browne - Downhill From Everywhere
This late-in-life entry to a stunning near five-decade catalog is as warm, lyrically articulate and musically compelling as any Jackson Browne has recorded.
GUIDE•A Guide To: Ray Charles' Country Songs
To celebrate his induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame and forthcoming True Genius collection, we looked back at 10 examples of Ray Charles’ finest and most influential country performances - just a small sampling of his work in the genre.
STAFF PICKS•Yola - Stand for Myself
Relish in one of contemporary music’s most dynamic voices at the peak of her songwriting powers and soul saturated vocal intensity.
ALBUM REVIEW•Dale Watson - Presents: The Memphians
Watson's spirited, affectionate work on Presents: The Memphians may only be a side trip in an extensive career, but it further confirms his love of a genre he will never abandon.
STAFF PICKS•Jason Isbell - Georgia Blue
Joined by a handful of like-minded musicians, 'Georgia Blue' sees Isbell cover a selection of songs by Georgia-hailing artists. It's a delightfully loose, expertly played and above all sincere 13-track set that checks every box for a project of this kind.
STAFF PICKS•Leah Blevins - First Time Feeling
It won’t take long to realize that with First Time Feeling, singer/songwriter Leah Blevins has released one of the most impressive debuts in recent memory.
COUNTRY CLASSICS•Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this debut. Not only did it introduce Yoakam as a fledgling yet seasoned talent with a voice that comes along once in a generation, but it presented pure country, amplified and energized, to a new, younger audience.
ALBUM REVIEW•Pokey LaFarge - In the Blossom of Their Shade
In the Blossom of Their Shade will make you forget about the frustrations of the last year and a half - at least for 40 minutes - and is a wonderful way to get acquainted with LaFarge’s unique, diverse and delightfully idiosyncratic musical personality.
ALBUM REVIEW•Barry Gibb - Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol. 1
The theory is enticing, but Greenfields is frustratingly a missed opportunity to breathe fresh life into Gibb’s music.
ALBUM REVIEW•Home in This World: Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads
These interpretations replicate the timeless qualities all great work exudes. The artists breathe new life and fresh inspiration into material whose words and melodies haven’t lost an ounce of their powerful intensity, regardless of the style they are replicated in.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Wallflowers - Exit Wounds
Since releasing two stripped-down solo efforts in 2008 and 2010, then returning to his band for 2012’s Glad All Over, it’s been radio silence in Jakob Dylan’s career. That puts this new Wallflowers set, arriving nearly a decade later, squarely into comeback territory.
STAFF PICKS•Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird - These 13
The duo plainly love this music, but instead of just covering musty classics, have crafted new songs every bit as genuine.
ALBUM REVIEW•Joy Oladokun - in defense of my own happiness
It’s an impressive introduction - a balancing act that keeps one foot in deep, dark impressions while the other stands within enough commerciality to attract newcomers to Oladokun's sound.
ALBUM REVIEW•The Cadillac Three - COUNTRY FUZZ
On the genre bending COUNTRY FUZZ, The Cadillac Three dispense with anyone’s idea of what they should sound like and instead march to the beat of their own drum.
STAFF PICKS•James McMurtry - The Horses and the Hounds
James McMurtry has always been one of Americana’s finest artists, but with The Horses and the Hounds, he even bests his previous work for an album undoubtedly on the shortlist as one of 2021’s finest.
STAFF PICKS•Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers - Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert
A stunning live recording that helps solidify the importance of the three-year stint of the Nash Ramblers, adding another notch to Harris’ impressive belt that every Emmylou enthusiast - and even those that aren’t - will treasure.
COUNTRY CLASSICS•The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
We reflect on this iconic album for its 50th anniversary, taking a look back at the story of the band's live recording at New York City's iconic Fillmore East.